New York Fashion Week fall 2013: Kelly Wearstler review

Interior decorator-fashion designer Kelly Wearstler brought her eclectic L.A. sense of glam to New York Fashion Week on Friday, presenting her fall-winter 2013 collection in her showroom off 12th Avenue, with an expansive view of the Hudson outside the window.

The look: 1980s glam rock, but with a comfortable L.A. spin. The colors were incredible — plum, turquoise, indigo etc. And so was her new foray into denim. Standout pieces included an electric blue mohair tweed jacket with silver embroidery on the shoulders, a cozy, purple mohair sweater with leather and velvet accents, a mixed-media lacquered leather and tweed dress, a pony hair T-shirt, geometric print silk pants, and destroyed boyfriend-style denim with gold threads in the holes.

“When I was starting in fashion, I had difficulty translating the rawness of my [interior] work, the vintage furniture with the rock crystal chandelier for example,” Wearstler said. “I found denim is the perfect material because it’s raw and refined. And that tension is what I love.”

All the bodies of the jeans are named after L.A. streets, including Sunset and Hollywood. The accessories are really coming along too, including leather pouches and belts with raw stone accents.

The inspiration: Italian architect Ettore Sottssas and his Memphis Group of design known for its squiggly lines and off-kilter geometric shapes.

The news: Wearstler is introducing fine jewelry for fall, including pendants and rings with confetti-like semiprecious stones, and cuffs with sculptural slabs of agate, quartz, pyrite and lapis. It’s been a year and a half since she launched her fashion collection, and a year since her store opened on Melrose Avenue in L.A, and Wearstler said she is currently scouting space for a second store in New York’s SoHo.

The verdict: The best collection yet from Wearstler with tons of covetable, wearable pieces. She has finally figured out how to bring her aesthetic to clothing without the textures and colors feeling too artsy craftsy.